New Generations Portrait

We have taken 4 generations from my family and 'accidentally' created a phenomenon and are now offering this to the public.

We will digitally enhance up to 8 photographs and create a uniform work of art. Each portrait will be carefully integrated with the other to create a lasting and loving piece that will last generations.

We did all this and created this for our family.

To help the 443 dogs rescued from the Mount Vernon Puppy Mill

For information on the background news story please follow this link:

http://www.kirotv.com/news/18552694/detail.html

For Immediate Release Contact: Denise Lee
Date: January 23, 2000 Phone: 800-801-8211 studio

Local business to generate money for 443 rescued puppies and dogs from Skagit County with Puppy Love event through the end of May 2009.

Denise Lee, owner of Hope Haven Photography (www.hope-haven.net), is working to raise money for the 443 dogs rescued last week in Skagit County. Until May 31, Hope Haven Photography is offering $100 mini-sessions for your pet. The entire session fee will be donated to the SPOT (Saving Pets One at a Time, http://www.savingpetsoneatatime.org/) to benefit the care of the dogs rescued.

The team at Hope Haven Photography works with each pet and their owner to create photographic fine art options to decorate clients’ homes. From digitally painted pet portraits to whimsical, bright colored backgrounds, Denise Lee and her crew have been preparing for to pamper pets during the upcoming event. “We have goodie bags for the pets and puppy chow for the adults. We are looking forward to days filled with fun and fur,” states Denise Lee, owner of Hope Haven Photography. “We hope people bring in other pets too. I am personally a horse lover.” All wall portraits from Hope Haven Photography come with archival framing, so clients go home with ready to hang artwork.

Puppy Love event is happening during now through May 31, 2009. All sessions are by appointment. Please call 800-801-8211.

Author Unknown

The story about the tiny frogs....

Life's lesson No. 1

Their once was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.
A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants...The race began...

Honestly:
No one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.
You heard statements such as: "Oh, WAY too difficult!!"
They will NEVER make it to the top." or: "Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"
The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one...
...Except for those who in a fresh tempo were climbing higher and higher...The crowd continued to yell "It is too difficult!!!
No one will make it!" More tiny frogs got tired and gave up...

...But ONE continued higher and higher and higher...
This one wouldn't give up! At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who after a big effort was the only one who reached the top!

THEN
All of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?
A contestant asked the tiny frog how the one who succeeded had found the strength to reach the goal?
It turned out...
That the winner was DEAF!!!!
The wisdom of this story is:
Never listen to other people's tendencies to be negative or pessimistic... ...cause they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you. The ones you have in your heart!
Always think of the power words have. Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions! Therefore: ALWAYS be... POSITIVE!
And above all: Be DEAF when people tell YOU that YOU can not fulfill YOUR dreams!
Always think:
I can do this!

A very nice note from Stan and Lydia

"We just want to thank you again for being amazing to work with on our special day! The pictures are simply amazing!"

-Stan and Lydia

Why no one else can photograph during the formal sessions?

I have a rule, or a very strong request during the photography of the formal poses. No one can shoot, except me.

Very often at weddings while I am making formal portrait photographs of groups of people, their friends or family want to stand next to me to try and get the same photo I am taking. This is not allowed for several reasons.

First, I am usually on a tight schedule as these photos are often taken just before the wedding ceremony is scheduled to begin and it is hard to stop and explain why I do not want them around with their cameras.

Some people have told me they think it is because I am afraid of losing revenue from print sales or that I am feeling jealous. It is not that. However, I did study with masters to be able to pose the groups in a certain way and achieve a brandable look for our company. It would be considered stealing to photograph someone elses work of art and that is what I consider our formals to be.

We often also use studio lights for formals, other flashes will interfere with these lights.

However the number 1 reason is I want everyone in my photo to be looking in the same direction. I illustrate this below.

Having Fun

I am human, I have a tendendancy to forget that I fell in love with photography as a young teen. I forget that not all shots are for making other people's memories last forever. One of my goals this summer is to shoot more photography for me, things that make make smile. So here is a sample of the types of shots that make me fall in love with photography all over again.